It's finally live! My first ever proper collection (well one which I have released all at one time!) and I couldn't be happier!
How did I get to the end point of The Decadent Daisy collection you ask? Well let me tell you all about it!
I knew I wanted you lot to be apart of this process, you are the ones who will eventually be having it so there was no point in making something I like but you guys wouldn't! I started out by asking what Summer meant to you - safe to say there was a fair few common themes! From there I began my Pintrest boards, I went through all the suggestions you had and collected all the imagery on one board.
From there I took the images I loved best and began making mood boards, taking key colours and themes from the preffered images. This is one of my favourite parts, I love seeing all the coordinated photos together and realising what kind of feel I wanted to go for. I loved all three but again I put the concepts back to you lot and got you on Instagram to vote for your favourite!
1.
2.
3.
I really did love them all but I immeditaely swayed to number 1 and the majority of you lot did too!
This is when the fun started, I ordered my sketchbooks and began the hands on side of things! Mind maps, exploring ideas, fonts whatever came to mind! I really went at it like I used to during school and art college decorating the pages, researching information on the ideas I was coming up with (I learnt a lot about the origins of a picnic hamper!).
After I felt like I had done my exploring I went back through my sketchbook and found the ideas and concepts that really jumped out at me. I also put a few pages up on instagram and gaged your reaction, what you said you liked and what got the most praise!
The best thing about this stage is nothing has to be perfect, it's just all initial ideas and you can really go down every avenue.
From there I began to decide what kind of products I wanted, I knew I would obviously do my usual cards and prints but I wanted to add something new in, something different. Notepads have always been something I wanted to venture into so this seemed the perfect time!
I did my research into suppliers and sent off for some examples, which I loved. Under my Eco Promise I wanted to ensure I used a sustainable company which used recycled paper and I got the quality I wanted with the suppliers I went for in the end!
So I knew what I wanted to make, the ideas behind them it was time to polish up the designs, I use good quality watercolour paper to paint the final designs, I knew these didn't have to be 100% perfect as the wonderful thing that is Photoshop can tweak any mistakes but I always do them as if they were one off commissions.
Once painted, they were scanned (I have a simple Canon scanner) into my computer and edited slightly ready for the printers. I often get asked what printers I use, I use both a local and online printer depending on what products I am after. The best place to start really is to Google "greeting card printers" and from there it's trial and error!
The But So Are You card before it got sent to the printers
Then comes the nerve wracking bit, I still find I get nervous sending my work to the printers! I shouldn't do really as I triple check everything, and I work closely with an amazing printers who will rectify anything which comes back not up to my high standards!
But when I finally get them back my favourite bit begins! The styled product photoshoots! I have come a very long way with product photography since I first began back in 2017. I cringe at the photos I used to upload but it's all apart of the learning curve!
When it comes to styling I use Pinterest a lot, I think of what the product is depicting and what goes with that. So for the Cocktail Classics I reference gin and we all know the blue Bombay gin bottle well so added that in, the bright colours of the citrus fruits also worked really well here too! Lighting is SO important when it comes to photography, so I always shoot as close to natural light as possible, luckily my house has two big bay windows which I can use to my full advantage!
Natural lighting is very important
The final stages are uploading the product photographs to my website, adding SEOs, descriptions and prices. I can do this in advance and keep them hidden on my website so when the launch day comes it only takes a few clicks and they are all there ready to go!
The new Lazy, Hazy, Daisy A5 Jotterpad
Did someone say picnic?
You've got this A5 printThen finally, the best bit - the launch party. I like to make a big deal out of launch day (any excuse for prosecco!). I love hosting parties and making things extra special. Obviously I wasn't able to hold a proper party this time round due to the dreaded Corona but I was still able to have a few friends in the garden! We drank Prosecco and Pimms, I had a mini Doodling Lucy/Daisy themed quiz and there were goodie bags! It was so much fun and a good way to get my friends and family involved!
There we have it! The Decadent Daisy collection from start to finish, I loved making this collection and it really was worth the late nights and occasional stress and worries I went through!
Thank you to everyone who has ordered and given me such lovely feedback! I'm glad you like it just as much as I do.
Lucy x